Question

What argument and claims does Darrow make for Leopold and Loeb in this excerpt? Darrow argues that the boys should not be executed for their crime. He claims they were too young to know what they were doing and were filled with illusions and daydreams because they read “bad” books. He argues that Leopold and Loeb have serious mental illnesses and need to be put in a mental hospital, not executed. He claims that the books they read caused the hallucinations both teenagers experienced before they committed their crime. Darrow argues that the boys should not be put to death because they are only teenagers. He claims that teenagers experience such strong emotions that they should not be responsible for what they did during an argument. He explains that Leopold and Loeb both grew up in wealthy homes with parents who ignored or mistreated them. He claims that their difficult childhoods led Leopold and Loeb into a life of crime, which is why they committed the murder.

Answer 1

He claims they were too young to know what they were doing and were filled with illusions and daydreams because they read “bad” books.

Answer 2

Darrow argues that the boys should not be executed for their crime. He claims they were too young to know what they were doing and were filled with illusions and daydreams because they read “bad” books.

Step-by-step explanation:

The evidence for this argument is that both Leopold and Loeb are, in Darrow's words, "two minors, two children, who have no right to sign a note or make a deed." Darrow argues this because Leopold and Loeb were eighteen and nineteen years old at the time of the homicide.